States given until Tuesday to respond in immigration lawsuit

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A federal judge says a coalition of states suing to stop President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration has until Tuesday to respond to the government's request to lift a temporary hold of Obama's orders.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville, Texas, initially set a deadline of Monday. But he later clarified the timeline.

Hanen issued a preliminary injunction on Feb. 16 that halted Obama's order, which could spare from as many as 5 million people who are in the U.S. illegally from deportation. Texas leads the 26-state coalition that sought the injunction, arguing that Obama's executive action was unconstitutional.

The U.S. government is asking Hanen to stay his injunction while it appeals to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.